1.The first thing people reach for when faced with a possibility of getting ill is Vitamin C tablets. This is far from a bad habit, but it is nowhere near enough to maintaining a healthy body, or to fight of infection. Zinc is often disregarded, yet it is a more common deficiency than Vitamin C, especially in women and children. It is also available as a supplement, but the best way to consume it is, naturally, through food. Zinc is found in large amounts in nuts and seafood, especially shellfish.

2.Another important vitamin is D, however, it is consumed in a somewhat different manner. The human body gets all its vitamin D through the sun’s UVB rays – the non-carcinogenic ones. During the summer, getting enough sunlight is not a problem, but as the days get shorter, and the sun gets farther away, the need for additional sources arise. Spending sunny hours in the office can be reversed by eating mushrooms and egg yolk. The only additional supplements that work are oil-based D3 supplements.

3.A healthy digestive system promotes a healthy body, and it is easy to establish one, or merely maintain it, with the help of probiotics. Globalization ensured a worldwide trade of ingredients, and anybody has access to natural medicine proven by thousands of years of experience. Potent probiotic superfoods that have kept tribal communities healthy well before the age of cities include kombucha tea and kefir. They are now common in any health-food store, and shop-keeps will gladly explain the application method. Even when illness strikes, probiotics can be used to balance out the aggressive nature of antibiotics.

4.Herbs and spices add flavor to food and life, but their role transcends this: herbs are charged with natural healthy matter, which can be absorbed in the form of teas, spices, ointments… The most lauded are cayenne pepper, turmeric, curry, rosemary, allspice, onion, and the father of all superfoods, garlic. Garlic has been a known remedy from the dawn of time, and today, major research is conducted to see just how far its powers stretch.

5.The doctor always recommends drinking plenty of fluids, but doing so ahead of time also keeps the doctor away. The problem is that most people have the wrong approach to something as basic as water: feeling thirsty is just a mask for dehydration, when the body is already on its last leg. Training yourself to methodically drink several glasses of water throughout day is the only approach. Other than water, which boosts your lymph levels, a selection of antioxidant teas provide a perfect blend of warm liquids and potent herbs. Green tea and chamomile tea are best choices for the winter period, and the most efficient and most prevalent recipe for disease prevention is a hot cup of green tea with a spoonful of honey, every morning.

6.Sleep deprivation makes an unhappy, unhealthy individual incapable of dealing with invasive foreign bodies like bacteria and viruses. The body regenerates and restores during certain phases of sleep, and there is no way to go around this. Powernaps are no good to anyone, and neither is anything less than 7 hours of straight sleeping.

7.Diet and exercise are the two steps to a healthy lifestyle. While there are as many diets as there are people starting them, the healthy meals are well balanced ones. There are also plenty of ways to exercise, and all of them are efficient, depending on a person’s preferences. However, it is yoga that most openly connects body and spirit. The combination of movement, breathing and meditation is bound to maintain vitality and a life free of stress.